Running a business is tough. Maintaining an aesthetic, well-fed social media profile on top of doing that is a straight-up massive ask. Now as marketers, we know how easy it is to get exhausted and run out of ideas. And when 27% of users prefer to discover products through social media, it is bad for a business to run out of ideas. So, how to find content ideas for social media? Worry not, here we have compiled here a list of social media content ideas for E-commerce brands that you can just get started on!
Ready? Take a notepad and pen and let’s go down this lane!
1. Customer Testimonials
I mean, do we even have to explain why you should do this?
A great testimonial is everything a business needs. It gives your business credibility, boosts your audience’s confidence in your product, improves sales, and sometimes even a loyal customer base. And all this is what makes a brand go from zero to hero.
So, if you have reviews of your product, put them up in a story. Or create a dynamic video with all the reviews of one product and add a shopping link to it, to prompt the reader to buy one.
And even if you have used up all your reviews, it is not a bad idea to repurpose them and utilize them in a different format. After all, you might get a totally different set of eyeballs the second time you post it.
This content ideas for social media taken from unbirthday.co is an example of how you can exhibit customer testimonials in an aesthetic way.
2. Keep up with the Trends
The algorithm rewards trend-setters and followers, especially if you find and adopt the trend way ahead of the rest of your competition. So, keep up with what is going on in your community and find out matters that are starting to get traction.
This might be something like a trending audio that you are seeing so many people use. Or a topic that is being discussed by many creators. And, when you find one make sure that the topic is relevant to you and your business.
Note that you do not have to jump on every trend that comes up your horizon. The trend should be of relevance to your business and you should be able to come up with something that is in line with your brand values. If yes, then you can go ahead. If not, then there is nothing bad with sitting this one out.
This social media content from Sprouts Farmers Market is an example of how they took a popular trend, included their brand in it, and made the content their own.
3. Show your Products in use
Displaying your products as a product catalog is all well and good. But, displaying them in real-life situations is also a great tactic.
In the case of some products, people might not even be aware of what the application of your product is. Or they might not know how to use it in their day-to-day life. In such cases, it is a good idea to show them the applications.
For example, if you own a clothing brand, you can tell people how to style a particular piece. Or you can show a model wearing that piece while going about their day like grabbing a coffee or taking a walk.
This social media content ideas adopted from Zara is a great example of showing the applications of your product.
4. Behind-the-scenes content
Running a business can look smooth from the outside. But looks can be deceiving right?
On the inside, e-commerce businesses are chaotic. Show this chaos to your audience!
Some of the behind-the-scenes content ideas are as follows:
- You can show them what the day in the life of an e-commerce store owner looks like.
- Tell them how your products are made. If your products are hand-made and customized for the customer then highlight those.
- You can also film a video on how you source your materials
5. Celebrate Your Wins
Your E-commerce brand will definitely have goals and milestones that you want to reach. When you reach them, share it with your audience. After all, they made it happen right?
When a business shares its struggles and wins with its followers, it also shares a humanistic part of its business. They go from being just another brand among scores of others to a brand that has an emotional connection with their customers.
Who knows, maybe while sharing your journey, you might even find some supporters along the way.
6. Promote UGC
This is another amazing way to create E-commerce content without actively allocating funds towards it, which is great if you are a small business owner.
For someone who might not know what a UGC is, it is nothing but User Generated Content. UGC is when customers create content with your product and share it with their followers. This might be a review video or a collab video.
To simplify it, you would all be aware of a time when Starbucks used to spell all our names wrong in a hilarious way. People found it amusing and started posing with their Starbucks cups and posting them on their socials. Now, this is a great ploy by Starbucks because they got improved sales, and because these users created content, they got tons of attention without breaking the bank.
You can also take a page from this strategy and brainstorm a way to make your users create content about your products.
This social media content ideas from Shopify is one amazing way where Shopify promotes the efficiency of their product with content created by their users. If you think about it, this can also be considered as a customer testimonial vouching for the success of their application.
7. Collab with Other Creators
This is another great way to get exposed to a new audience and gain visibility. You can partner with other brands or influencers in your niche and tap into their audience pool.
Suppose, you are a hair accessories company, you can collab with other clothing brands. Together, you can create a gift hamper with a dress of your choice and a matching hair accessory from your brand. This way, both brands get more traction, thus a win-win situation.
You can also collaborate with micro Influencers in the fashion niche, where they can promote your brand in exchange for free products. (If your budget has no limit, then knock yourself out with big-shot influencers!)
This Sol de janeiro collaboration with Porch and Parlour home is a stellar example of this!
8. Support a Cause
Cancel culture is a big thing these days. With people becoming socially conscious, they expect brands to be responsible too. They want their favorite brands to be sustainable and support social reformation. And when brands harm society, they are not afraid to speak out or cancel them.
We do not want that to happen to us, right?
Now, you might think this applies to only large corporations. Wrong!
There are many instances where small-time business owners have contributed to social causes and made an impact. Similarly, you can also pick a cause that you are passionate about and offer a lending hand.
This social media content ideas adopted from Rarebeauty is a good example of their social responsibility towards the community and clearly explains their stand on mental health.
9. Share a milestone
Have you ever come across a post where people say “Come along with me as I lose weight in the next 30 days” or something similar?
This is a popular strategy adopted by many, where they do not just show the end results to their customers. They take them along the journey!
They show them their pitfalls, their mini-wins, and their consistency in showing up. And what happens at the end of the 30 days, you are kinda hoping that the person really loses weight. Because you have been invested so far, now you want to know what happens next.
Similarly, you can share a milestone that you have been working towards and then build on it in public. This is also an amazing way for you to keep yourself accountable.
10. Show your Journey
Everyone loves a good story. This is why, the first cardinal rule of content creation is to tell a story. And what better story there is than the story of your inception?
Tell the story of how you founded your e-commerce business. What prompted you, what did you struggle with, and how did you overcome it? Story tell your way into your customer’s hearts!
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11. Help Other Businesses
Now, calm down. We are not telling you to purchase from random businesses and make their day.
You can also share your experience with starting a business. What someone who is starting should know before getting started. You can also tell them the story of how you got your first client.
Little gestures like this can be a major help for someone out there who is just starting out.
12. Share an Industry News
When AI became a big boom, the tech industry had a field day talking about its capabilities, applications, and so on. Everyone you and I know had one topic of conversation, which was about AI.
Similarly, if your industry has any amazing developments then share them with your audience. This can be anything from a trend that is taking over or new regulations. This knowledge sharing inadvertently positions you as an industry leader which instills trust in your target audience.
13. Do How-tos and Tutorials
Educational content is always a good idea since it is an indication of your expertise in the field. For example, if you are a sunglasses brand, then you can make a short-form video on how to care for your sunglasses. Or you can advise them on how to prevent scratches and so on.
Bonus points, if you could talk about your business offerings while educating your audience.
Chamberlain coffee took this strategy out of the book and created an aesthetic, delicious drink that is bound to make people save and try it out for themselves. Now that is a scrumptious looking post, isn’t it?
13. Showcase your employees
Employees are the biggest advocates of your business. Improving their involvement and engagement with your socials is an important part of your strategy. And what better way to do that than by making social media content that revolves around them?
Doing short QAs, polls, or shooting an interesting part of their work day is a great way to involve them in the content creation process and also show a fun side of your business on your socials.
In this example, Lush Cosmetics Marketing Communications Coordinator Nadya took the stand to talk about her mother and relate it to a wholesome Mother’s day celebration initiative by the company.
14. Do product launches
When we say product launches, we do not mean Apple-level launches. I mean, who has the budget for it?
But thankfully, all product launches do not have to be extravagant and flashy to gain the attention and love of your audience. You can be subtle and still have an impact.
Therefore, the next time you have a new product launch, shout it out to the world. Build suspense regarding the product before launching the product to gain more eyeballs. Run a campaign and promote your new launches after the product is released onto the market.
This social media content ideas from Byoma is an eye-catching example of how you can create launch videos that engage your audience.
15. Give custom suggestions
Just because a user loves your product does not mean they will purchase from you. And one of the reasons this may happen is due to decision fatigue.
Suppose you have a hair care brand that sells shampoos with organic ingredients. You have different types of shampoos for a variety of hair types. Your user might love your product but will still hesitate to make a purchase solely because they do not know which shampoo will best rectify their issues.
To simplify their decision-making process and to take the guesswork out, you can create a guide with custom suggestions that will help them identify their dream product. Always remember that the simpler the purchase process better your chances of making a sale.
16. Embrace Augmented reality
Augmented reality has changed the way people view products. With AR you can visualize how the product will fit you, even before you buy it. You need not buy a sofa to see how it will look in your living room. Just open the camera and let AR work its magic!
Brainstorm on ways you can use this for your business. You can also adopt it in fun ways that make people want to try it out. But however you adopt it, make sure that it is relevant to your brand.
17. Show Bloopers
Showing small funny snippets from your behind-the-scenes content is also a light, fun idea to engage your audience.
Recorded a podcast for your business? Show people the funny slip-ups you made during shoots!
Went on a company tour? Show your users a peek into your trip!
18. Repurpose content
Some content is too good to be thrown out.
These pieces of content might have got you traction or could have bought you lots of new followers. Some might have even been your first viral post!
In such cases, it is okay to repurpose that content into something else. If it was a blog post, then you could make a video out of it or an infographic. This way you still add value to your customers. After all, the people who saw that back then are totally different from the audience who are going to see it right now!
19. Celebrate social media holidays
Social media celebrates many holidays – everything from National Teen Wellness Day to National Hot Chocolate Day. You can celebrate any one of them. Take a pick from the list of these holidays, select the ones that are relevant to your brand, and celebrate them on your socials!
20. Post a survey
This is a win-win situation. When you post a survey regarding your business, people tend to share what they think about your brand. This way you get a peek into your customer’s brain, get feedback, implement it, and showcase the progress you made.
When you actively implement feedback and let your audience know of it, they get far more inclined towards the success of your business. Thus becoming supporters of your brand!
21. Giveaway products
Brands have been giving away products for as long as we can remember. You can do that too!
You can take the most popular products on your shelves and offer a giveaway for your audience. You can ask them to interact with these posts, to be able to qualify to win.
Here is another giveaway done nicely by Ringconcierge. I mean who does not want a ring AND a dream proposal?
22. A glimpse into your company events
Company events need not necessarily be enclosed within the company. As we said, fun and entertaining content goes a long way in social media. And company events can be a great way to showcase the light side of your business.
23. Create Relatable memes
Who does not like funny content? No one!
Everyone loves a good laugh here and there and so does your audience. So, take this chance to loosen up a little, maybe post a couple of memes here and there, and have fun with content creation.
And the benefit of posting memes is that you can generate memes in a batch and chuck them in a folder. Whenever you are in a pinch and can’t think of content ideas, you can throw one meme out and none would be wiser!
If you say this is not relatable to you, then you are lying. Krispy Kreme has read our minds with this one meme!
24. Debunk myths
Every industry has some sort of myths that affect people’s rational judgment. Your industry might have some too. Take this as a chance to rectify these misconceptions and tell people the real story behind these assumptions. Educating your audience is always a good idea!
25. Answer commonly asked questions
As a business, you are bound to be bombarded with questions about your products every single day. Some questions might be a bit more special. You might find them surprising or some might even be repeatedly asked to you at every turn.
These questions are an opportunity for a post. You can make innovative videos where you can answer them. Or you can just simply post your answers in a simple picture. The format is up to you!
This is another social media content ideas adopted from Gisou is an example where posting about FAQs need not be boring!
Conclusion
Over 33% of the world population shop online making the E-commerce industry a trillion-dollar business. And, if you want to ride the wave and secure your own round of profits, then social media is the way to go!
Social media is the lifeblood of your e-commerce business and if leveraged properly it can act as a lead-generation machine that never stops giving. This list of social media content calendar ideas is just a scratch on the surface. With innovation and creativity, you can come up with tons of posts that are engaging and rewarding. And even if you do not have the time for that, there are tools for generating post ideas to help you get started.
Creating content for your social media page need not be a hassle if you have a plan in place, get the necessary tools to automate your content creation process, and be consistent. So, get started today for a prosperous business!
FAQ
There are tons of competition out there and businesses are scrambling to use social media to keep their business on top of their audience’s mind. In such a competitive world, posting regularly and engaging with your customers is vital to being ahead of the curve.
Consistency is key when it comes to posting on social media. Plan to post at least 3 – 5 times a week to maintain customer engagement and brand visibility.
Not necessarily. There are many free social media post-creation platforms like Predis AI you can leverage to create content.
